All Jazzed Up
by The Innocent Devil
Summary: Leading up to and including the basketball game date. ZV. Oneshot.


Ok so the freaky thing is, I started writing this story before the vid/pics. I freak myself out sometimes. oh and title credit goes to crazeekat...lmao

**All Jazzed Up**

"C'mon! Hit him he's op- fuck!" A disgruntled Zac angrily covered his head with his hands in an attempt to calm down. He was currently watching a NBA playoff game in the comfort of his hotel room. Situated permanently on the couch, his eyes were glued to the screen, to engulfed to sense the presence of his girlfriend. "Oh FUCK! GOD DAMN! Don't let them fucking go on a 10-0 run! Play some defense. Damn right you should take a timeout! Jesus!"

Vanessa simply stared blankly, while looking around apprehensively. Too scared to speak, she slowly sat down to see if her existence would be acknowledged. When it was evident that he was unaware of his surroundings, she found the courage to talk.

"Babe?" she nearly squeaked out, afraid of the reaction. Simultaneously, she reached up and placed her hand on his shoulder. He flinched profusely, nearly falling out of his seat. His head whipped to his side only to see Vanessa with a meek look on her face. He let out a sigh of relief.

"Holy shit Van. Never do that again. I almost had a heart attack." He said sincerely, seemingly removed from the intensity of the game. Vanessa smirked and began to provide an explanation.

"Well I'm sorry babe but I," she was cut off by the same Zac she had witnessed when she first arrived.

"Yeah, yeah it's ok. Good thing you're here though. Cause the game is coming back in like.. " he paused to look at the screen, "oh shit it's coming back now. Quick Van get me some snacks."

Vanessa sat stunned at what was occurring. "What?"

Zac turned to look at her for a split second before replying, "Oh right sorry. And a drink too. Thank-Oh fuck. WHAT ARE YOU DOING! WHY DO YOU GET PAID! Goddammit this is ruining everything!" Zac continued to mindlessly spew out words of profanity, as Vanessa left the area.

"What the fuck is going on?" she mumbled to herself. Vanessa sighed and decided to comply with his requests. Although she was sore from what was her final dance rehearsal, Vanessa figured she could use this to her advantage later on in the week. "God this is worse than video game Zac,"

After gathering a couple bags of chips and a liter bottle of Coca Cola, Much to her dismay, Vanessa returned to the room to see Zac still completely taken by the game.

"Come on, come on." He muttered pleadingly under his breath. "Ahhh off the rim." 'And there seems to be a problem with the clock. We'll just stand by until we get that figured out.' As the announcers voice drowned out, Zac finally looked at the food beside him, and without hesitation began opening the bags and stuffing his face.

Ten minutes of silence ensued before the game was reaching its climax.

"…Your welcome…" Vanessa finally said.

"I sfays fasnk sfou."

He took a swig of soda before repeating his previous words, "I said thank you Van. Okay? C'mon baby you know I appreciate-" Zac took a peek at the screen, "OH FUCK YESSSS. I LOVE YOU KOBE. I. LOVE. YOU. I WORSHIP THE GROUND YOU WALK ON. WHOOOOO!!" Zac proceeded to get up from the couch, spilling the chips out from the weight shift. After doing a mini-victory dance, he bent down to Vanessa's eye level and brushed his lips with hers. He pulled away to kiss her forehead, sat back down, then began chanting. "We won. We won. My master plan is still in tact."

"…Zac? Are you…okay?" Vanessa stared at him quizzically.

"What? Of course I'm okay. In fact I'm more than okay, I'm on cloud nine."

"Because…why exactly?"

"Because…" he began in a matter of fact voice, "Kobe just gave us a 2-0 lead. Don't you know what that means." After receiving her hard stare he continued, "It means that the Lakers will win the series, _and _if Utah can pull this off, then the Lakers will be coming here! Whooo! Man I get excited just thinking about it."

However, Vanessa seemed to zone out and be in deep thought. She uttered one word, "Kobe? You worship meat?"

Zac immediately looked at Vanessa as if she grew three heads. Horrified, he quickly corrected her. "NO! Kobe _Bryant_, as in the best player in the league. The man who will bring the Lakers right here to me. Now if Utah can just win that game tomorrow…" he trailed off.

Vanessa blinked in disbelief of her boyfriend. "That's great...so anyway the original reason I came was to see if we were still going out tomorrow night.

Zac thought for a moment. _Fuck I want to watch the Jazz game. She won't go for that. Think Efron, Think._ Suddenly, a grin spread across his face. "Of course we're going out babe. What kind of boyfriend do you take me for?" Before she could answer he continued speaking, "Look just wear something really casual. Like T-shirt and jeans casual. I've taken care of everything."

Vanessa looked suspiciously at Zac, but chose to go along with his plan, "Alright. I'll be here at 6:30. Bye baby." As she leaned in to give him a goodbye kiss, he pulled back.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think you're going? You're going to sleep here."

"Is that so?" A smile tugged at her lips, as he nodded innocently. "Well I'm sorry to disappointed you Mr. Efron but I simply have nothing to wear." With that she swiftly pecked him on the lips and rushed her way to the door.

"Wait clothing is not an issue! I'm an accepting human being Vanessa!" his calls proved no avail, as he watched her retreat down the hallway to her room.

He sighed dreamily against the now closed door. He closed his eyes briefly before picking up his phone and dialing a familiar number. "Hey sorry it's a little late but a I was wondering if you could help me out with something…"

--

"5,6,7,8!" bellowed an irritated Kenny. A winded Zac came to a halt, as he watched the other dancers continue without a flinch. "Come on! Zac move your fucking ass! You of all people need to-"

"Uhh…Kenny?" interrupted a rather meek voice. "We're filming…and the producers were hoping you could uh…tone it down a bit?" Chucky finished lamely, giving Zac a sympathetic look.

"Ugh fuck the cameras. I'm trying to make a fucking movie here okay? I need to get these kids prepared, and I don't have time to-"

Chucky discretely walked over to one of the cameramen, as Kenny continued his rant. "I'm really sorry guys…he's normally not like this." He paused to glance at the still berating choreographer. "I think it's best if you guys leave for today."

_This is going to be a long day…_

--

An annoyed Zac trudged into his hotel room, too tired to notice the rustling noise originating from the kitchen. It was currently 6:15PM. A whopping 3 hours behind schedule. _Fuck I have to get ready in 15 min ._

I can just lay down for 5 and get up…He plopped onto the bed, almost instantaneously falling into a deep slumber.

_20 min later…_

"Babe!" a beaming Vanessa greeted. She was met, however, with silence in the seemingly vacant hotel room. "…Baby?" The silence continued until she found him in the bedroom, spread out on the bed. She gently sat down on the bed next to his lying form and lightly stroked his head starting from his hair, down the side of his forehead to his cheek. Vanessa then noticed his paleness and tired face. She continued to caress him with a smile on her face until she felt him begin to awaken.

"…Zac? Baby? Are you okay?" whispered against his face. All she received in return was a groan and a slight flicker of his eyes. She softly chuckled. "It's okay Zac. We can stay in today."

At the mention of this scenario, Zac's eyes immediately shot open, and he soon found his voice to protest. "No, no, no. Shit." He sat up from the bed and turned toward the still sitting Vanessa, "What time is it?"

"Uhh…"she glanced around the room until her eyes laid on a digital clock. "6:40."

"Oh fuck. We're gonna be late?" he frantically sprung up and ran to his still unpacked suitcase.

Vanessa followed him with her eyes, intrigued at what he had planned. "Oooooh. Late huh? What…do you have reservations for some place?"

Zac's eyes nervously made a journey around the room before once again concentrating on finding jeans. "Ummm, you could say that."

Vanessa beamed, "Awww Zaccy you shouldn't have. That's so sweet! And here I thought we were gonna go to some bar and watch more basketball."

Zac nearly choked on his next breath, as he froze mid way into putting his shirt on. He quickly covered, "Ahaha funny. I wouldn't put you through that agony Vanessa…" he let out another dry chuckle before finishing dressing.

--

"You. Bastard."

"Van…"

"You. Bastard."

"Come on don't be like this."

"I wouldn't put you through that agony Vanessa." She mimicked bitterly. Looking up at the stadium.

"Now to be fair-" he tried to cut in.

"No. There is nothing fucking fair about this whole situation Efron."

"Okay…bad choice of words. But come on Van it could be fun. I mean first level seats, being in close proximity to each other, no one cares about who we are…" He stopped hoping she bought his plea. While waiting for a response, he looked around the stadium parking making sure no one was eavesdropping on their conversation.

"…" She finally sighed, "I guess we could go in…"

Zac broke out into a grin, "Yes! Mmmmm. I love you baby," He glanced down at her still hardened face, as they made their way into the stadium. While holding the door for her, he pulled her back so her body was parallel to the door and him. With a hint of a smirk he looked at her, his cerulean eyes boring into her brown ones, as he had done so many times before. Swiftly, he situated his right hand behind her head, interlocking with her curls, and pushed her lips towards his. He grinned into the kiss, as he felt her open her mouth, allowing his tongue entrance. After a good minute or two, he became aware of their surroundings and slowly broke away from the kiss. They smiled at each other for a moment, oblivious of the world around them before Vanessa broke the silence with a big smile on her face.

"I hate you." He smiled widely, then gave her a quick peck before finally entering the building.

--

_Half Time_

As the players made their way to the locker room, Zac turned toward Vanessa. She had been unusually quiet, _Is she still mad?_ She absentmindedly stared at the empty court that would soon be filled with cheerleaders. "Van?" She was jerked out of her trance and gave him her attention. Putting an arm around her while subconsciously rubbing circles on her arm, he bent his head over by her ear. "Are you mad?"

She hinted a smile and shook her head. "No way I got over that. I just don't understand what the hell is going on."

"Oh wow. I never thought we'd get to the point of me teaching you the art of basketball." He replied chuckling, while pulling her closer.

"Oh please, you can't play for your life." Her eyes dancing with happiness.

"Well, Miss Hudgens, I have been officially offended at your lack of faith in me." The couple shared a laugh, the tension that once existed completely shed. Soon enough they were laughing and talking; normalcy was restored at last.

"So…okay. Who are your top 3 people in the world besides your family?"

"Hmm intriguing question. Well 3rd would have to be nerds everywhere. I gotta be true to my roots. Umm…" he looked at her, a little worried at her reaction, "2nd would be my beautiful girlfriend because I can't live without her. And 1st would definitely have to be my man Steve Nash." He finished proudly.

"Who is he? I've never met him? I thought I met all your old friends." She scrunched her nose and tried to think of a visual she may have seen.

Zac laughed, much to her confusion, "No. Steve Nash is the best point guard in the NBA. He's my number one because he was my inspiration as a kid."

Vanessa raised her eyebrows, "You wanted to be a basketball player?"

"Oh god no. He just gave me hope that I could make it. I mean I was…am just some scrawny white guy. Just like him."

Vanessa busted out into laughter, almost flinging out of the seat.

"Excuse me, I let you in on a personal detail and you mock me," he retorted.

"I'm sorry baby. I'll be more conscious of your feelings next time." She leaned her head on his shoulder as the players made their way back onto the court.

--

_4__th__ Quarter_

Zac had been surprisingly quiet, though he was still entranced in the game occurring. Vanessa soon found herself confused once again. Unsure of what to do with herself, she began to look around for something of interest. Out of the corner of her eye, she witnesses a camera pointed directly at Zac and her. Surprised at the discovery, she gapes for a moment before leaning over to inform Zac.

"God I just hope we're not on that couple game where you have to kiss?"

"Don't stress Van; it'll be fine."

Just as he shifts back to the center of his seat, he feels her take hold of his hand, content with the atmosphere. Vanessa sighed as she glanced at Zac lovingly. Somehow no matter how boring or bad things could be, he always managed to make everything tolerable, and even fun.

--

"Okay was that _so_ bad Van?" The game had ended, and unfortunately for Zac Utah had lost at the last second. They were on the elevator on their way up to their rooms.

"Yes." He gave her a knowing look. "No." She smiled and stalked her way over to him, pinning him against the wall. Just as she was about to connect their lips, the ding of the elevator caused them to halt their actions.

They made their way down the hallway, making sure not to be too noisy. When they got to her door, she turned around to face him. "I'm sorry I was such a bitch at first."

"Nah you weren't. Besides it was warranted. I was being selfish." He replied, scratching the back of his neck.

"No you weren't Zac. You do things for me all the time. It's the least I could do…Anyway we should get to sleep."

"Oh fuck." He pulled out his cell phone "It's 11. Dammit I have to wake up at 5 tomorrow." His body sulked slightly at the thought.

"Awww poor baby. Don't worry tomorrow is a dress rehearsal and shit like that. By the way how was your last dance rehearsal."

At the mention, his eyes darkened, as he shot her a hard look. "Okay, okay I get it. Not good."

"Well, Bye Van. I love you," As he leaned down for the kiss, she blindly opened her door and used her free hand to pull his leaning body into her room.

"Think of this as a reward for a great date." She whispered huskily in his ear. With that, the door closed, leaving behind nothing but silence, complete contrast to what was occurring inside.


End file.
